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Thursday, March 4, 2010

As I've mentioned previously, one of the primary reasons I'm shifting to a more "green" lifestyle is to lessen my impact on the environment so future generations can enjoy clean air and fresh water. We live just a stone's throw away from the Chesapeake Bay and in seeing how polluted it has become over the years, we are growing more committed to preserving our precious wildlife and nature by polluting less. The other main reason, of course, is to rid our home of toxic chemicals with ingredients that could negatively affect our family's health. Who wants to knowingly use something which has the potential to alter your or your child's endocrine system?

With terms like "natural", "hypoallergenic" and "organic" being abused and overused, it's hard to find a company you can trust to be transparent with their intentions. But one such brand is Seventh Generation.

Seventh Generation is arguably one of the world's first, truly socially-responsible companies. Instead of focusing on traditional business principles, they encourage customers, staff and partners to express their idealism, passion and commitment to causes. One look at their website and you can plainly see that they are a dedicated community, promoting an open dialogue about health and environmental issues as well as sharing important resources and tips to assist you on your greener, cleaner journey. Seventh Generation dedicates 10% of its profits to nonprofit organizations working for positive change.

How did they get their unique name, you may ask? Why, it's from the Great Law of Iroquois that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." How inspiring! If that doesn't move you to eradicate those toxic chemicals for your offspring, I don't know what will.

Seventh Generation generously sent me a Healthy Home Starter Kit to review.

This kit includes:

Glass & Surface Cleaner - Ruby Grapefruit & Herb

Kitchen Cleaner - Wild Orange & Cedar Spice

All-Purpose Cleaner - Green Mandarin & Leaf

Shower Cleaner - Green Mandarin & Leaf

Toilet Bowl Cleaner - Emerald Cypress & Fir

Tub & Tile Cleaner - Emerald Cypress & Fir

(1) Roll of Natural Paper Towels

Reusable Tote Bag

I was so excited to put the tub and shower supplies to work. My regular bathroom cleaners have such awful fumes and my bathroom does not have the greatest ventilation, so I often have to run for cover in between scrubbing. Not fun. I surely don't want Nate in the bathroom with me when it reeks of toxicity to the point of suffocation.

The Tub and Tile Cleaner had a mild forest-y scent. Not strong or offensive at all and a relief from the harsh, standard cleaners. Because we have hard water and hence lots of mineral buildup in our showers, tubs, toilets and sinks, I wasn't sure if this would be powerful enough to get the job done. But I was really surprised. While I did have to use some muscle, it turned my shower from dingy and dirty to clean as a dream in under 10 minutes. And as I rinsed the water down the drain, I felt good knowing I was reducing my toxic waste. My stinky, foaming cleansers are a thing of the past. I will definitely be buying this again once my bottle is empty.

We've also been spritzing the Shower Cleaner onto our shower walls and curtain after every shower to keep things fresh. I was a tad disappointed that the scent was more "Leaf" than "Mandarin", as I was hoping for a nice citrus smell. But it isn't unpleasant and it seems to keep the dirt from building up as much so ultimately, that is what is most important.

I was also impressed with the Glass & Surface Cleaner. I was sent the unscented Free & Clear version (I'm assuming the Grapefruit was out of stock) and just like it's name implies, it was streak-free and removed the toothpaste stains from our bathroom mirror with ease. I typically use my Ultimate Cloth as an eco-friendly cleaner for my mirrors but if I need to wipe out some bacteria, I like that I now have this option.

To clean the mirrors and wipe up minor spills in the kitchen and bath, I used their recycled paper towels. Did you know that if every household in the U.S. replaced one roll of their regular paper towels with these 100% recycled ones, we could save 933,000 trees, 2.4 million cubic feet of landfill space, 350 million gallons of water and avoid 59,600 tons of emission? Pretty amazing, huh? All in all, I was quite pleased with them. They didn't leave a trail of lint and even though they weren't as soft and cushiony as Bounty, they were pretty absorbent. They also held up to some gentle scrubbing without falling apart.

I have to say I had mixed feelings about the Toilet Bowl Cleaner. I love the green fragrance as well as the flip-top nozzle design. And it cleaned "okay". It removed most of the residue in the bowl except one particularly stubborn ring. Overall, I didn't find it worked as well as my ecostore USA toilet cleaner. It may work fine for those with softer water but sadly, I don't think I would buy this one again.

I haven't really tested out the All-Purpose Cleaner or Kitchen Cleaner yet, as I'm still addicted to my Method and Mrs. Meyers sprays. But I can attest that they smell nice from sniffing the bottles. I love that I can store everything in my tote bag under the sink so it's ready whenever I need it.

Bottom line: Seventh Generation's Healthy Home Starter Kit includes everything you need to give up on those nasty toxins forever. Not only did I like the majority of their products, but out of all the "green" companies I've worked with thus far, I feel they are the most authentic, honest and real. That trust, for me, correlates to brand loyalty.

BUY IT: You can purchase the Healthy Home Starter Kit (ARV $38.99) and other Seventh Generation products at most grocery stores and major retailers or online. Just check out their handy dandy store locator to find the nearest vendor!

DELICIOUS DISCOUNT: Be sure to check out the website for valuable printable coupons for your favorite Seventh Generation products!

WIN IT: One lucky reader is going to win their very own Healthy Home Starter Kit! Yippee!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Visit the Seventh Generation website and either tell me a factoid you learned NOT mentioned in my review or tell me a product you'd like to try. Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile to prevent disqualification!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count! Remember to leave one comment per entry.

2.) Follow me and Seventh Generation on Twitter and tweet about this contest. You can do this daily! You may use the tweet below or come up with one of your own:RT @kris10chumley: Protect yourself and the future with a @SeventhGen Healthy Home Starter Kit (ARV $40)! Ends 3/19 http://bit.ly/aOb1qe

4.) Sign up for the Seventh Generation newsletter (upper right of homepage). (1 entry)

5.) Add my blog button and leave a comment with the link to where I can find it. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on March 19, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received the Living Home Starter Kit from Meghan at Seventh Generation to facilitate my candid review. I was in no other way compensated for this post. The thoughts and feelings expressed in this review are solely mine. Your experience may differ.

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comments:

What do I not want to try? LoL. I'd love to try the disinfectant spray, disinfectant wipes, the chlorine free baby wipes and laundry detergent, and maybe this is too much info but I'd like to try the organic tampons. :)

I learned from the science man on the site that A 1994 University of Arizona study, for example, found that about 80% of tested kitchen sponges contained some combination of up to 15 different kinds of dangerous bacteria including E. coli and salmonella.

I learned that Seventh Generation formulates its products with plant-based surfactants in a way that oils and greases are rapidly dispersed in water so harmful solvents are not needed. tylerpants(at)gmail.com

About Me

Hi everyone! My name is Kristen. I'm a stay-at-home mommy to my 2-year old little boy, Nate. I love trying new things and sharing my opinions on products - especially baby and toddler stuff! I've been blogging personally since 2006 but I began this blog in 2009 so I could share my all-natural, honest reviews - no artificial sweetener here!

Want to know more? Just click on the Contact link above and ask! I love to hear from my readers!